1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to portable cigarette lighters, and more particularly, to an improved portable cigarette lighter closure device.
2. Description of Related Art
Portable cigarette lighters that are dimensioned to be carried in a user's pocket are well known. These portable lighters are useful for lighting cigarettes and pipes, among several other items that may be desired to be ignited by the user. One well known embodiment of these lighters comprises an ignition assembly and a reservoir assembly that contains flammable lighter fluid. The ignition assembly includes a draft guard for preventing a flame created by the lighter from being inadvertently extinguished. A wick extends from the reservoir and into the draft guard. A toothed wheel is typically provided to engage a flint. The toothed wheel is rotated to cause the flint to throw sparks into the draft guard and toward the wick, causing the saturated wick to ignite.
The reservoir assembly may comprise a casing or cell having the lighter fluid retained therein, with a portion of the wick floating in the fluid. Alternatively, a known absorbent material, such as felt, is disposed in the casing and saturated with lighter fluid. The wick again is in communication with the saturated felt, and is ignited as discussed above.
Additionally, these lighters are provided with a pivoting cover. The cover is provided to enable the user to extinguish the flame emanating from the ignition assembly when desired, and to protect the ignition assembly and the users clothing. A lever is provided to prevent the cover from inadvertently opening and closing. The lever is often configured with a laterally projecting toe portion that communicates with a spring biased plunger for resisting pivotable movement of the lever, between a horizontal position of the lever when the cover is open, and a vertical position when the cover is closed. The toe portion of the lever depresses the spring with the plunger for resisting the lever's pivotable movement. The spring also causes the plunger to exert sufficient force on the lever to retain the lever in the vertical position and in the horizontal position.
A number of U.S. Patents have be granted to such portable lighters. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,032,695, to Gimera et al. discloses a pocket lighter that includes a hinged cover and means for retaining the cover in a closed position and an open position. The retaining means disclosed therein is substantially similar to the lever and spring biased plunger assembly discussed above.
Another portable lighter is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,424,929, to Murry et al. The lighter disclosed therein includes a cover pivotably coupled to an insulative case for housing a power supply, such as batteries, and conductors. A spring biased plunger is again in communication with a lever to prevent the cover from inadvertently opening and closing. The lever is configured to communicate with the plunger for resisting pivotable movement of the lever, and to maintain the lever in a horizontal position when the cover is open, and in the vertical position when the cover is closed.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,150,940, to Heller et al., discloses a cigarette lighter that includes a cap-type member that is pivotally mounted on the open end of a housing. The cap-type member includes a lug extending outwardly through an opening in the housing. The lug bears against an edge of the opening. The edge of the opening provides a fulcrum about which the lug and, in turn, the cap-type member pivots into the housing. The cap-type member is in engagement with the ignition mechanism so that it actuates the ignition mechanism when it is pivoted into the housing.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,899,285, to Christmas, is directed to a cigarette-lighter cover that is provided in a generally planar configuration. The cover has an internally formed hinge that enables a portion of the cover to be swung thereabout to expose a portion of the lighter and a protuberance which may be snapped into a recess in the lighter to releasably hold the cover in place.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,879,163, to Wright, discloses a lighter assembly that includes means for directing primary and secondary fuels along convergent paths toward an ignition point to produce a lighter flame.
However, a disadvantage common to the prior art, and particularly to portable lighters that include a pivoting cover and a lever which aids with retaining the cover of the lighter in the open and closed positions, is that it is often somewhat difficult for the user to open and close the cover. Frequently, the spring biases the plunger with enough force to prevent facile opening and closure of the cover. Thus, the force exerted by the plunger on the lever often necessitates that the user simultaneously hold the lighter fluid reservoir portion of the lighter along with the cover of the lighter, so that they can rotate the cover relative to the body. Therefore, one-handed operation of the lighter is prevented.
Thus, there exists a need for a portable cigarette lighter cover closure device that provides facile actuation of the cover and which securely retains the cover in the closed position.